Spare Wheel Cap with Integrated Tool Recesses
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing spare wheel assemblies require removal of other parts before accessing the ornament-removal tool, making it inconvenient to access and use quickly.
Innovation Solution
A spare wheel assembly with a spare-wheel cap featuring raised fins for gripping and recesses to securely hold an ornament-removal tool, allowing for easy rotation and quick access to the tool.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the ornament-removal tool is positioned inside the spare wheel assembly requiring removal of other parts to access, then the tool is securely stored, but the accessibility and ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The ornament-removal tool is extracted from the interior storage location and repositioned to be mounted on the exterior surface of the spare wheel cap, allowing direct access without removing other components while maintaining secure attachment through dedicated mounting features
2Ease of manufacture
If the spare wheel cap has a simple smooth surface, then the manufacturing is easier, but the gripping ability and ease of rotation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cap surface transitions from uniformly simple to having localized textured regions or gripping zones at specific locations, maintaining overall manufacturing simplicity while providing enhanced friction and grip where hands contact the cap for rotation
3Ease of operation
If the ornament-removal tool is permanently fixed to the cap, then the tool is always accessible, but the ability to remove and store the tool deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The tool mounting system employs a dynamic attachment mechanism that allows the tool to be easily installed and removed from the cap, transitioning between a readily accessible mounted state and a stored separated state, accommodating different user needs
Data Source
AI summary
A spare wheel assembly includes a spare-wheel cap having a core, and raised fins radially extending from the core toward a perimeter of the cap to form a cross and configured to provide gripping portions for rotating the cap. The spare wheel assembly further includes an ornament-removal tool having a handle and a longitudinal member extending therefrom. Some of the fins define recesses configured to receive and retain the handle and member to removably secure the tool to the cap.